The USGA’s head honcho heard your complaints about the U.S. Open telecast.
Among the legions of tweeters griping about the high volume of commercials during the golf major was the influential golf podcast “No Laying Up,” which tweeted a GIF about not having a good time [watching the tournament due to the amount of ads], followed by a later observation that the next commercial break arrived just three minutes later.
“I’m on it!” responded USGA CEO Mike Whan. “We have the best sports production team in the world here with our partner NBC Sports (Olympics, Super Bowl, etc.) and if the amount of interruptions are problematic, we will work with our partner to do better!”
Whan continued to praise NBC Sports, but vowed to work with them to improve.
USGA CEO Michael Whan, who posed with US Open tourney winner Matthew Fitzpatrick, vowed to do something about all the commercial breaks NBC used on the major.Getty Images “More TV people here than the Super Bowl (true!) so we/the USGA will work to free them up to do what they do better than anyone,” he tweeted. “This has been a great US Open and we will work to make 2023 at LACC even better!”
NBC took over the US Open from Fox Sports in 2020.
The AP reported that Fox had agreed to pay the USGA over $1 billion for the rights to air the major for 12 years beginning in 2015, and that NBC’s taking over the final seven years of the pact for “just under half of the rights fee.”
